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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Embarrassed and upset. Was I wrong?

819 replies

fatandembarrassed · 20/05/2016 09:20

Nc for this

I recently had to take an 11 hour flight. I'm quite pregnant at the moment - not close to my due date, but it's very obvious and I am pretty big now. I was cleared to fly but warned that I must walk about as much as possible.

I didn't have much notice of this flight and so didn't have spare money, so I booked an economy seat next to the toilet, for obvious reasons, and with extra legroom. It was fine, but about 4 hours into the flight, I realised my ankles were swelling, so I got up and started to walk about a bit.

I felt a bit embarrassed, but I was in a fair bit of pain with my ankles and Braxton Hicks contractions, so I persevered very slowly and in complete silence, making my way along the aisles which wasn't easy in Economy as it was very tight. I then walked up and down the Business Class aisle. Nobody looked up or seemed disturbed by me, and it was easier to walk, so I walked up and down that section twice which took me about five minutes.

Next thing I knew, a male flight attendant marched up to me, put his hand on my arm and told me that I was disturbing passengers who had paid more than me, and that I might be pregnant but it was 'not an excuse' to 'make a disturbance'. I was quite shocked to be told I was disturbing anyone - I was very quiet and slow, and there for less than 5 min.

I was really upset to have him talk to me like that, both touching me and implying that I was just being a 'nuisance' to people who were clearly 'better' than me. I ended up crying because I was so humiliated (hate having to walk anyway and draw attention to myself), in horrible pain and having contractions.

Was I being unreasonable here? DH is very upset that I was treated like this and I really didn't think I was doing anything terribly wrong.

OP posts:
rookiemere · 22/05/2016 19:35

I travelled on a wonderful airline.

They were offering half price flights in the paper as an opening offer. DH and I flew to Zurich and my friend and I flew to Milan.

It was utterly fabulous, they came round with free twix bars and champagne, then little blankets for all of us.

Couldn't quite understand how they did it on the cheap fares, but hey ho, not for me to wonder. Then they went bust, several months later. Unfortunately if you want cheap air fares, then a) you get no frills and b) there generally needs to be some people paying more to support it or the model doesn't stand up.

HermioneWeasley · 22/05/2016 19:55

Yes, but if it got around that empty BC seats were given away, they would sell even fewer as people hope for a free upgrade.

It's an airline - they exist to make money. It's not an essential service and it's not immoral to offer additional services for more money, exactly the way low cost airlines do (pay to take a bag, pay for meals, pay for extra legroom seats etc)

SpringHasNearlySprung · 22/05/2016 20:03

And how do you know she was bragging a free upgrade?. She never got a free upgrade that's what she was aiming for. Why else would she have mentioned the extra seats in BC? I didn't actually see her bragging either. She was whining about being pregnant on a plane. HUNDREDS of people fly who are pregnant and don't whine about it on Internet forums nor do they feel the need to enter a cabin they haven't paid for to try to BLAG a free upgrade. I will continue to ask WHY DID THE OP NOT TELL CABIN CREW SHE WAS FEELING UNWELL?. They could have made her comfortable in her economy seat or taken other actions ie land the plane at the nearest airport of she was as ill as she made out on here. She was NOT giving birth she had braxton hicks for goodness sake. She's a bloody drama lama.

AnotherTimeMaybe · 22/05/2016 20:08

So my Dh has been upgraded a few times when certain crew happened to fancy the pants of him, they had a chat with the service director and there you go!!
Is that better than offer it to a struggling pregnant lady? Or even worse to just let her have a bit of a walk?

SpringHasNearlySprung · 22/05/2016 20:10

Twenty more comfortable seats for those who need a little more comfort. I'd wager that the op would have scored highly on basis of need among the economy passengers.

Oh FFS so being pregnant warrants having a free upgrade? She CHOSE to fly while pregnant. If she wanted to sit in BC she should have paid for it and not expected a free bloody upgrade. I wonder how she got home....

AnotherTimeMaybe · 22/05/2016 20:11

Spring meant to say blag not brag autocomplete crap

SpringHasNearlySprung · 22/05/2016 20:15

to a struggling pregnant lady?

She chose to get pregnant. She chose to fly. She chose to portray a dying fly. For goodness sake she had braxton hicks, wasn't in labour and her ankles had swollen a bit. If she was that I'll she should have told the cabin crew but she didn't and chose to try and get a better seat without paying for it. She said earlier the economy class had obstacles like people's legs I the aisles. There is actually a phrase called "excuse me" Pregnancy is NOT an excuse to go into a cabin you haven't paid for to disturb the people who have paid.

hattymattie · 22/05/2016 20:41

I ould not have been disturbed by the OP in BC but understand the argument. Agree that the FA seemed to handle the situation badly.

I do have a question though - if BC is for business people who need to work undisturbed, why are children allowed to sit there if they have booked a ticket? Shouldn't Business Class be exactly that?

AnotherTimeMaybe · 22/05/2016 20:56

if BC is for business people who need to work undisturbed, why are children allowed to sit there if they have booked a ticket? Shouldn't Business Class be exactly that?

Cause BC is not just for businessmen, it's for anyone who has the money to pay for it. When they buy a BC seat they don't buy the whole cabin, they buy the seat they have no saying if someone wants to put his 5 kids on the cabin since he can afford it! Yes there are some entitled idiots that because they pay whatever for the seat they shouldn't have kids in the same cabin!!

SpringHasNearlySprung · 22/05/2016 21:06

Yes there are some entitled idiots that because they pay whatever for the seat they shouldn't have kids in the same cabin!!

I'd happily pay for a child free cabin just as ai do for adult only hotels Grin

CoteDAzur · 22/05/2016 21:38

"Lordy- we're not allowed to cry now?"

You are allowed to cry. However, don't wonder why people think you are being ridiculous if you lock yourself in the toilet to cry because you were told Business Class is for people with Business Class tickets.

Most people stop thinking about "Am I allowed to...?" and move towards "Is it a good idea to...?" in their teens. I heartily recommend you start about now.

FoggyBottom · 22/05/2016 21:47

It must have been annoying for all the other passengers who may have needed to actually use the loo.

CoteDAzur · 22/05/2016 21:54

"to a struggling pregnant lady?"

Oh please Grin I had crippling sciatica in both pregnancies which meant I could barely walk and carpal tunnel syndrome so severe that my hands would be frozen as claws when I woke up in the morning. My feet were so swollen in the last trimester that I had no visible ankles to speak of, and I had to wear shoes 3 sizes larger than my normal size.

And yet I managed to survive plane flights without claiming that I'm entitled to Business Class or crying in toilets because a flight attendant touched my arm.

AnotherTimeMaybe · 22/05/2016 21:57

And yet I managed to survive plane flights without claiming that I'm entitled to Business Class or crying in toilets because a flight attendant touched my arm.

But she never said she's entitled to BC !! Confused

And yes FA can't touch anyone's arm that's poor very poor service! He can just talk to them politely! How about that?

bridgetoc · 22/05/2016 22:00

OP, you were wrong to go into business class, but if it was an honest mistake, these things happen. Just because you made that mistake, that does not give the FA the right to be rude to you.

CoteDAzur · 22/05/2016 22:01

She didn't have to SAY it. She walked through BC several times, clearly believing she IS entitled to that area, simply because she is pregnant and her feet are a bit swollen.

Btw for the record, walking is the exact opposite of what helps swollen feet when you're pregnant. If she had told flight attendants about her problem, they could have given her ice packs and moved her to an empty seat where she could put her feet up.

Waltermittythesequel · 22/05/2016 22:02

Congratulations on your travel allowance being more than my monthly wages caring for dying people.

Oh don't be so bloody worthy, ffs!

I'm sorry to trot this old gem out, I have been avoiding it, but being pregnant doesn't suddenly turn you into a precious little princess who needs to be coddled at every turn.

You can't just lock yourself in a bathroom on a plane, thereby preventing other people from using it, because someone had the audacity to do his job and stop you from being in an area that you chose not to be in.

I'm actually getting really pissed off at all this "but she's pregnant" bullshit.

Women have been pregnant literally from the beginning of humanity. And they will continue to be. Most of us haven't wilted and died from it.

Some of us even survive the whole thing being grown ups about it. Imagine!

Waltermittythesequel · 22/05/2016 22:03

but if it was an honest mistake

It wasn't a mistake.

CoteDAzur · 22/05/2016 22:04

"FA can't touch anyone's arm that's poor very poor service! He can just talk to them politely!"

I have a feeling the polite talk happened before it all escalated to the point where OP was told BC is for people who pay BC prices and FA touched her arm. But OP isn't telling us about all that.

CoolforKittyCats · 22/05/2016 22:10

Congratulations on your travel allowance being more than my monthly wages caring for dying people.

Oh grow up.

Some people save bloody hard to travel BC etc.

AnotherTimeMaybe · 22/05/2016 22:19

I have a feeling the polite talk happened before it all escalated to the point where OP was told BC is for people who pay BC prices and FA touched her arm. But OP isn't telling us about all that.
You have too much trust in FAs
I fly BC all the time I don't have much money I just work for airline and I've seen crew that are amazing, I've seen the rude ones as well. Travellers go to BC for all sorts of reasons so crew handling this is the norm. They cannot put their hands on anyone unless he's an actual threat... Even then the captain must be notified... Was she that much of a threat?
She's not a piece of shit to be talked to like this, she must complain so that the fucker of FA can follow policies!

pilpiloni · 22/05/2016 22:19

People make mistakes. There's no sign at the entrance to business saying no plebs economy class. If you don't fly a lot or only on budget/charter, an easy mistake to make.

Op didn't argue with cabin crew. She had made a mistake, a misjudgement. A polite 'I'm sorry but this area is for business class only' would have sufficed.

OrangesandLemonsNow · 22/05/2016 22:20

A polite 'I'm sorry but this area is for business class only' would have sufficed.

We don't know it didn't happen.

Waltermittythesequel · 22/05/2016 22:20

Not once has OP said that she didn't know it was BC. unless I've missed it??

Only1scoop · 22/05/2016 22:21

Cote

Quite

IMO there was a little more said prior to the CC's retort